The Importance of Vitamins

Biology

Caroline Schetlick

Importance of Vitamins

            Our health depends significantly on vitamins. We can either intake vitamins, or produce them with our own bodies. Our ancestors used to be able to make their own vitamins, such as Vitamin C. However, we have evolved out of making our own vitamins. Our ancestors did not necessarily need to produce vitamins for themselves for they ate a good supply of fruit. On the other hand, the rise of agriculture led to the production of more starches like wheat and corn. These starches lack a sufficient supply of vitamins, which had put us in risk of disease. In the mid-1800s, processed rice, or white rice, became very popular with the usages of the new steam powered mills. The process took away the outer layer of the rice, which was rich in vitamins. The rise of white rice led to the rise of the disease called beriberi. This disease causes people to lose feeling in their legs and have trouble walking. A scientist named Christian Eijkman discovered that chickens could also develop this disease, and studied the disease in the 1880s. As a result, he found that once the birds stopped eating the processed rice, they quickly recovered. Researchers soon found that the vitamin in the outer layer of rice is Vitamin B1, or thiamine. On another note, in the United States alone, the annual sales of multivitamin and mineral supplements total in $12.5 billion. Although a balanced diet will provide a good supply of vitamins, extra vitamins don’t necessarily add to the benefits. In a 2013 review, a study proved that vitamin supplements do not prevent cardiovascular disease. Studies also showed that pregnant women benefit from Vitamin B9, or folic acid. Although vitamin supplements don’t do too well in countries that suffer from malnutrition, vitamin deficiency remains a threat. For instance, Vitamin A deficiency leads to blindness, causes the eye to lose its light sensing molecules, and it weakens the defense against infections. How can we prevent this? Simply intake a variety of foods in your diet.

            This is very relevant to our world, and the lives of many. Lots of people are affected negatively from vitamin deficiency. Scientists are now finding cures for certain diseases, such as malaria, using vitamins. Scientists are developing compounds that are essentially mimicking the functions of vitamins. When dealing with the disease malaria, single-celled parasites called Plasmodiums invade red blood cells. To prevent this from happening, the mimicked vitamins kill the Plasmodium through trickery, because these mimicked vitamins are actually incapable of carrying out the jobs of normal vitamins. This is relevant because it will save lives. It is still in the early process, however, it will be a major break through if this system continues to succeed. Vitamins are vitally important to our daily health, and we should be taking in fair amounts of Vitamin A, B (thiamine), C (fruit), and D (sunlight) in our diet daily in order to live a healthy life.

            This article was written very well, and was loaded with lots of good information. However, there tended to be a little too much information in some areas that were besides the point at hand. This made it a little more difficult to read. Overall, there is little criticism, for I have learned a lot about my health, and the health of others from reading this article.

Works Cited

Zimmer, Carl. "Learning From the History of Vitamins." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/science/learning-from-the-history-of-vitamins.html?ref=science>.